Chapter Forty-Seven: There Are Rioters

Passing through two carriages, Su Tong found his seat, settled his luggage, and sat down, checking his finger. Damn, it was already a bit swollen. Mutual destruction.

"Impulsiveness is the devil. With such a weak constitution, why did I go head-to-head?" Su Tong silently regretted his actions. He had indeed clashed hard just now—never again, he swore, would he be so reckless.

Su Tong had bought a second-class seat. The carriage felt distinctly different: upscale, grand, and tasteful. During his first year at university, because he was strapped for cash, he traveled between the seaside city and Yan Capital on ordinary trains with hard seats. Now that money was no longer an issue, he wouldn’t subject himself to that hardship again.

“Oh, come on…” No sooner had he sat down than Su Tong widened his eyes. The passenger next to him was an acquaintance.

The familiar face belonged to a young woman, who had been gazing out the window, her whole body taut. She had recognized Su Tong long ago.

Su Tong had quickly recognized her as well, mainly because his seat was supposed to be the window seat, which she had taken. He had tried several times to swap seats, and after sizing her up for so long, he naturally remembered her.

Hearing Su Tong speak, the girl’s face flushed instantly. She was the very same girl who, after Su Tong’s rebirth and return from the seaside, had delivered a home run to him on the light rail ride home.

“If you switch seats with me now, I’ll let bygones be bygones,” Su Tong said with easy familiarity, as though talking to an old friend. Not everyone could pull off such behavior—any short, poor, awkward guy would have made a fool of himself from start to finish—but Su Tong, fully aware of his own charm, knew that good looks had their advantages.

Liu Qianqian’s face was rosy, and she struggled to recover.

With Su Tong around, there had to be a topic, even if there wasn’t one. He grew spirited again and began to tease her.

After a while, he learned that Liu Qianqian was also studying in Yan Capital, at the University of Political Science and Law, now in her third year.

“Isn’t your school close to the Film Academy? I’ve always wanted to visit and spot future stars, but I studied so diligently in my first year that I never even strolled over to our neighboring Foreign Language University, which is famous for its beautiful girls. Next time I visit your school, you mustn’t avoid me…” Su Tong rambled on, showing not a hint of sadness at their imminent parting.

“Of course not. We Northeasterners are warm-hearted, unlike those students from certain regions who are so petty.” Liu Qianqian readily agreed, then explained, “But the Law School campus near the Film Academy is actually the graduate institute. The main campus, undergraduates, and the Sino-European Law School are all in Changping District.”

“I see,” Su Tong said, a little disappointed, then asked, “Got anything to eat?”

“Yes, yes,” Liu Qianqian was still somewhat reserved, awkward like a shy admirer meeting a beauty. She quickly pulled out a shopping bag from under her seat, stuffed full of snacks.

Su Tong, without hesitation, picked out a few and began eating happily. “You should eat too, don’t be shy. I just heard your stomach growling. No need for such restraint with me—no reason to let your stomach suffer.”

Liu Qianqian blushed again. She was indeed a bit hungry, but out of decorum, hadn’t dared to eat.

“You seem quite honest—blushing at the drop of a hat, yet fond of doing things out of the blue. Look, as a law student, your words and actions represent something, you know?” Su Tong lectured her, reminiscing over old events.

“I’m not eating anymore.” Liu Qianqian’s cheeks reddened once more, tempted to throw herself out the window. Things were just getting comfortable for chatting and laughing, and now he’d circled back.

Despite running into Su Tong several times, Liu Qianqian was actually quite happy. She believed in fate, and he was a handsome guy—how could she not be pleased? But he was so good at banter, thick-skinned, and his flippant attitude was both lovable and infuriating.

“I just said, don’t let yourself suffer. Come on, eat. Want me to get you some food? It’s nearly lunchtime.” Su Tong opened a packet of duck neck he’d brought, stuffing it into Liu Qianqian’s arms. “It’s delicious. My little sister bought it for me—I can hardly bear to eat it. But if she knew I was giving it to a beautiful girl, she’d be delighted. She loves pretty sisters.”

Liu Qianqian’s features were regular—she couldn’t be called stunning, just a pretty girl. But because of her major, she had a certain rigor and poise. She was still pondering the relationship between sister, duck neck, brother, and beauty when Su Tong stuffed a piece into her mouth.

“In the north, there are beauties, unmatched in the world… Ah, but I still think the girls in our seaside city are the best—tall, statuesque, and full of security.” Su Tong sized up Liu Qianqian, who sat upright, back straight, and legs long.

Liu Qianqian, unable to help herself, retorted angrily, “With someone like you, what girl would dare get close? There’s no sense of security at all.”

“Exactly. Everyone assumes someone like me can’t possibly be single, so they don’t even consider me, and so I’ve remained single.” Su Tong sighed.

Liu Qianqian wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth and snorted, “Serves you right.”

Suddenly.

From somewhere ahead came a burst of frantic screams, followed by a gust of wind rushing into Su Tong’s carriage.

Su Tong was startled—where did the wind come from?

His first thought was a quality issue with the high-speed train: a window must have shattered in transit.

But soon, women’s cries and men’s shouts echoed.

Su Tong’s expression changed—could it be?

He told Liu Qianqian to sit tight, stowed the little table, stood up, and walked toward the front carriage.

A crowd of passengers craned their necks in the aisle, trying to see what was happening up ahead.

But the carriages of a high-speed train weren’t like those of an ordinary train—you couldn’t see through several, let alone a dozen, at a glance.

Su Tong squeezed forward with difficulty, but after two carriages, he couldn’t get any further.

The incident had occurred in the first-class carriage ahead, but the door was already closed.

A cluster of people crowded the doorway, legs trembling—they were the passengers who had originally been in first class.

“So cruel.”

“The thug is at it again.”

“Damn criminal—even attacked a child.”

“…”

The group was pale-faced, some barely able to stand.

“Let me through,” Su Tong said grimly. From his predecessor’s memories, he’d seen plenty of news from this world—terrorists causing trouble, armed with deadly weapons, slaughtering defenseless civilians.

“Move back, return to your seats!” A stewardess stood guard at the first-class carriage door, her face pale. She barked at Su Tong as he tried to push forward, her words stumbling.

Su Tong didn’t hesitate to command the little devil, “Redeem the X-ray fruit.”

One X-ray fruit cost 100,000 points, and Su Tong now had over 400,000. Lives were at stake; he wouldn’t be stingy.

“Points spent are only restored at one-twentieth per day. Use them wisely,” the little devil protested, caring nothing for others’ lives. Its own fate was tied to Su Tong’s—if he failed the main quest repeatedly, the first to suffer would be the devil, not Su Tong.

“Stop talking, hurry up—I want to see what’s going on in the carriage ahead.” Su Tong ordered.